Use case

The same clip, captioned in another language.

Record in one language, post in three. MakeRoll translates a clip’s captions into English, French or Spanish in one click, keeps the timing of every line, and lets you correct the text before you export. The cut stays exactly as you made it; only the words on screen change.

The job, in plain words

Your clip works in the language you recorded it in, and you know there is an audience for it in another one: French-speaking viewers for an English channel, or English and Spanish speakers for a French one. You want a version with captions in their language, without re-editing the clip, re-timing every subtitle by hand or paying a translator for a 40-second video.

Translated captions are not dubbing: the voice stays yours, and the captions carry the meaning. That works on short-form video because so much of it is watched with the sound off, and because a viewer who hears your real voice while reading their own language still gets you, not a synthetic copy.

How it works

The captions come from the transcript
Every imported video is transcribed in the language spoken, word by word, and the clip’s captions are built from that transcript. Fix any name or term in the original first: the translation starts from what the captions say.
Translate in one click
In the editor, pick English, French or Spanish as the caption language. Each caption line is translated with its start and end kept, and the word-by-word highlight is laid out inside each line. Names, brands and code are left as they are, and you can switch back to the original at any time. To post both versions, duplicate the clip and translate the copy.
Proofread, export, post
Read the translated captions with the sound off and type over anything that reads wrong, exactly as you would edit the original. Export, or publish to the TikTok, Instagram or YouTube account that speaks that language. Caption translation is included on every paid plan.

Example: a French tip, posted in English and Spanish

Imagine a French fitness coach with a 35-second clip on fixing a squat. Here is the flow for two more languages:

She duplicates the clip twice and translates one copy into English and the other into Spanish. The cut, the framing and the caption style stay identical in all three.
Proofreading the English version, she changes “sheathing” to “bracing”, the term her audience actually uses, and shortens one line that wrapped onto three rows.
She schedules the French clip on her French TikTok, and the English one on her YouTube channel. The Spanish version is exported to post by hand on an account MakeRoll does not publish to.

This example is illustrative: it describes the steps in the editor, not a recorded customer project.

What makes translated captions read well

Fix the original first

A misheard word in the transcript becomes a mistranslated word in every language. Correct names and jargon in the source captions before you translate.

Proofread for meaning, not just spelling

Machine translation keeps tone well and still misses idioms and trade terms. Read each line asking whether a native speaker would say it that way.

Watch the line length

Translations often run longer than the original, French and Spanish especially. If a caption wraps onto too many rows, shorten the wording rather than the font.

Check the highlight on key words

Inside a translated line, each word’s timing is estimated from its length, so the highlight is close rather than exact. Where one word must land on a beat, split the line so it starts there.

What you end up with

Same cut, new language

Translation changes only the caption text; the edit, the framing and the style you set stay put.

Timing kept line by line

Each translated line keeps the start and end of the original, so captions still follow the speech.

Editable like any caption

Translated captions are ordinary captions: retype, restyle or split them in the editor before export.

What this does not do

Captions can be translated into English, French or Spanish only, and the voice is not dubbed. Captions are burned into the exported video; MakeRoll does not hand back a separate .srt file. Translation is on paid plans; the free plan keeps captions in the language spoken.

Questions people ask

Which languages can captions be translated into?

English, French and Spanish. Transcription itself works in many more languages, so a clip recorded in German or Italian can still get English, French or Spanish captions.

Does MakeRoll dub the voice?

No. The audio stays as recorded and only the captions are translated. For short clips watched largely with the sound off, captions carry most of the meaning.

Is caption translation included in my plan?

It is included on every paid plan, Creator and Pro, with no extra charge per clip. The free plan keeps captions in the original language.

Can I download the translated subtitles as an SRT file?

No. Captions are burned into the exported video, which keeps them identical on every platform. A separate subtitle file is not available.

How accurate is the translation?

It is machine translation that keeps the tone of spoken language and leaves names and brands alone, and it can still miss idioms or trade terms. Proofread each version; translated captions are edited like any other.

Credits are source minutes: a 60-minute video costs 60 credits, however many clips come out of it. Editing and exporting are free and unlimited. Pricing

Try it on your own footage.

An hour of source video free every month: full pipeline, full editor, no watermark, no card.